Echoooo.....

[Michael@SacredMetal]

Wow, Jeff - what a great posting! Thanks very much for this small look inside!

Michael

[Ice-B]

Thank you Jeff, this is one of the most interesting and intelligent statements I have ever read in this regard. Hopefully it inspires people to re-consider their opinion about all those "old" and "uninspired" musicians out there. Anyway, I don't think, that people thought of Sacred Blade/Othyrworld when posting all their negative statements above

Rgds, Ice

[Jeff Ulmer]

Thanks guys. I don't think people necessarily need to change their opinions, I mean, if you don't like the music or what an artist is doing these days, you don't like it, but at least this might give you some idea why people are doing (or not doing) what they are. I certainly didn't cover all the potential angles, but hopefully some of the more prevalent ones.

Being involved in the industry, I get to see this from both sides. As a fan, I am as enthusiastic as anyone about reissues of the material I grew up with, and am as disappointed when something is either neglected or is reissued in a half-assed way. On the other side, I know about the BS that goes on in the industry, so I appreciate all the legal and other aspects, while from a technical perspective, I have worked with old masters, and know that they don't always survive decades of storage.

Outside my own work, I wasn't aware that there were that many bands rerecording their older material. Maybe this is a subject Laurent could address in the next Snakepit?

[Irish Coffee]

Hail Jeff,

yeah, you are right, the reissue thing is not always easy to go with. Tons of problems can occur and even I as a singer of a small band have surely experienced that "ego clash" of bandmembers.
Concerning rerecordings, it always depends on the spirit a band or a record had at a certain period. Jag Panzer had that totally unleashed feel on their first album, razor sharp guitars, fiery soloing, hunger and passion came together and forged an album that will stand out as long as there will be heavy metal. This was a very youthful album, still technically very well executed. I'd call it a physical album, the sheer power was upfront and the depth came second. Your debut album was different to me, more mature and sophisticated from the beginning on and therefor the rerecordings did no harm to the songs, the living flow is still there and the spiritual side of the music has always been stronger than the physical aspect. To me at least. I cannot speak any bad things about the Exciter reissue, I love the last two studio albums very much. I would not buy the rerecordings for I have the originals but the album still, as my guitarist Timo would say, got TITS. :ph34r: So, well, I think it is all a matter of taste and a matter of which way a band started.